Am so sick of Sam/ Jared bashing in SPN fandom

[vyperdd]

I love Supernatural with all my body, heart and soul and I love Sam and Jared just as much if not more. In fact,  as much as I adore SPN, I'm also looking forward to it ending so that I can get to watch Jared in other shows, movies and see him play a wide variety of characters. I also like reading reviews from other people, seeing what they think of the episodes, the storylines and the characters' journeys and how hot both of our boys are. What I don't like is the sheer amount of Sam & Jared bashing that is featuring in most reviews and the comments on them by Dean/Jensen focussed fans.

This review wasn't too bad, I've read a lot worse and more one-sided. Sure it was definitely written with major Dean focus, but she didn't resort to bashing Sam in order to highlight Dean's and Jensen's sheer awesomeness. She just didn't give much attention to Sam's seperate storyline or Sam at all. It reminded me of something my mum used to say "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all" It was the comments that followed that got me really pissed off, the 1st one from Cassieo in particular.

http://www.innsmouthfreepress.com/?p=16032&cpage=1#comment-18155

This was my reply (in bold) to a couple of her opinions that I was most offended by:

@ Cassieo
It just seemed to me that this whole episode could have been played out with Ness and Dean finding Dean’s way back and the constant switching to Sam and Jody was just a way to placate Sam fans and give Sam a part in the episode.

Why shouldn’t Sam have a part in this (and every SPN) episode? He is one of 2 main characters in this show, not a secondary or guest character. We have had Dean-centric eps where Sam has been in only 1 or 2 scenes (In the Beginning & The End to name a couple), but are yet to see equivalent ones concerning Sam. Even In Weekend @ Bobby’s (which Jensen directed and would have been a great opportunity to feature Sam a bit more)Jensen/Dean had more scenes/screentime than Jared/Sam. I admit we got a lot more Sam in TAT than I had thought we’d get given how heavily Dean-centric all the promos were. I’ve learnt to be happy for as much Sam as we do get. The show is supposed be about both Sam and Dean. I want Sam to get equal storytime and storylines because he is equal in importance with Dean and not to feel that I have to be grateful to TPTB for any little scraps of my favourite character intend only to “placate” me.

Your comment sounds like you don’t want Sam on the show at all as all he does is take away Dean’s screentime.

and
For me, it would just have been better if Mill reappearance was with both boys and not just Sam.

So Sam shouldn’t have any sort of meaningful interaction with any character without Dean being there as well? What’s he supposed to do when Dean is somewhere getting to indulge in ANOTHER one of his fantasies, 1940′s/ The Untouchables this ep, Westerns/ Clint Eastwood (FrontierLand)? Sit in the room all by himself twiddling his thumbs til Dean gets himself back from the past? What about finding out what movies Sam likes and what people Sam fanboys? Heck, even after 7 years we still don’t really know what sort of music Sam likes. That tiny snippet we got in Lazarus Rising before Dean ripped out the IPOD jack was the only time I can recall that we’ve heard what Sam listens to when driving. What we do know is very little ( he played soccer and acted in a play in school, went through a phase where he liked magic, and 1 of his heroes is Ghandi)
Dean has been given, not just more interaction with most of the recurring characters, but relationships and friendships as well, Castiel, Bobby, Zacharia, Crowley, Gabriel, Hendrikson, Gordon Now he’s also getting to interact with Frank (who, IMO, is more of a Bobby replacement than Jodi will ever be) as well and he had a much more meaningful interaction with Krissy in the last episode, despite that he had absolutely no interest in wanting to help her. Would have been great if Sam could have told Krissy about going to college and that a normal life away from hunting was possible. But he had barely a few minutes with her.

I think it was great that Sam had a few scenes with just him and someone other than Dean. He almost had 1 with Paul, the bartender in 99 problems and I was looking forward to hearing Sam’s thoughts on his beliefs and “that God stopped caring a long time ago” (Like Dean was given with Leah) but that was cut short too. And he’s not allowed to have a drink or two with Jodi in remembrance of Bobby without, once again, Dean being there??? WTF???? BTW, we don't actually see Jodi and Sam drinking. (The scene ends with Jodie just holding the bottle) They may have , they may not. We just don't know.

Sam may not have wanted to notify people of Bobby’s death, but he knew it would be the right thing to do. I’m sure if Dean had agreed than Sam would have made all the calls, despite how much it would have hurt to do so.

As for Sam being completely normal in this ep, he is and has been all season, far from normal. He’s said he’s not fine by a long shot but he’s managing the crazy and that other’s have it a lot worse. And I, for one am looking forward with great anticipation to seeing where Sam’s storyline goes in regard to the Lucifer situation. The Sam/ Lucifer scenes are amongst my favourite of the first 2 eps and the season so far.

It’s comments and attitudes like yours that make me avoid reading a lot of boards frequented by some (NOT ALL) Dean/Jensen fans, but I really felt that Sam needs someone on his side and to remind people that there are brothers and 2 leads on this show, not just 1.

Other comments moved on to the subject of some spoilers in a recent JP interview. Even though I actively do my best to avoid spoilers, I did skim the article and so have a general idea of what JP was talking about. Plus the spoilers were posted in the comments, so I couldn't help but glance at them as I was reading:

This one comment in particular got me even more pissed off:
@Paula (the reviewer of the ep),
Cassieo and Ginger
Beware spoilers. They never turn out in the final episode exactly the way they sound. Well, almost never. Padalecki rarely talks about anything not involving his character and tends to overemphasise things that turn out to be pretty minor. Sam’s role in 7.17 could end up being very minor.

My reply:

And I bet that would make all you Dean/Jensen fans very happy, for Sam (& Jared) to have as minor and insignificant a role as possible.

This comment then got me this reply from Paula:
Be careful, now. Disagreeing with another commenter or defending a character is okay. Insulting or attacking other commenters is not.

I replied back to Paula via email as I didn't want to get into a slanging match in the public comments:
Exactly how am I insulting or attacking other commenters? They presented
their POV and thoughts, most of which I strongly disagree with. I presented
opposing thoughts with a different, decididely Sam fan focus. I was
personally offended by Cassieo's comment that we Sam fans should be happy
and even grateful for a scrap or two of Sam each week to placate us. I took
her comment to mean that Sam is not deserving of an equal share of storyline
and screentime in a show that purports to be about 2 brothers and has 2 lead
actors, not just 1.

I thought I presented a balanced, yet alternate case and was very careful to
not get personal in my comments. If they came across as anything other than
that, then I apologise, but I stand by all my comments regarding Cassieo's
obvious dislike of 1/ Sam having an active part in getting Dean back to the
future, 2/ Sam getting 1-on-1 screentime with a character other than Dean
and 3/ Sam sharing a drink with Jodie in rememberence of Bobby without Dean
being there as well. BTW, we don't even see Sam & Jodie drinking, so it's
not certain that they did.

VyperDD


Haven't received a reply yet and I don't really care if I don't get one. Will keep an eye out for replies to my original comment, but after that I doubt I'll be back. Don't want to spend the limited net time I have in a place with people so dismissive of and downright rude to Sam and Jared. Will stick to places where Sam/Jared are liked and appreciated for what he brings to the show, but sadly these seem to be few and far between. I can recommend Sylvia Bond over @ pinkraygun for great Sam/Jared focussed recaps & reviews.

If anyone has some favourite Sam/Jared friendly hangouts on LJ or elsewhere, please pass them my way. Both me and my sanity will be forever grateful. :)

 

Comments

[legion11.livejournal.com]

OMG! I feel nauseous right here! I went and read that rewiew and comments and its so SAD! Yes, I used to read comments about haters toward Sam or Dean ( in fact usually towards Sam), but because I trend to read fanfic mainly and not personal comments, this was fist example that this thing, this hate is really here!
I´m Sam girl, I really am. Sam is for me the most important character, but I mean it as I said it - for me. Because for show the most important characters are Sam and Dean, they are the show!
I need them both!
And yes, I feel that Dean has got more time in the show since S4( I suffer through S4 every time I rewatch it, S5 gets better, S6 - I feel there was no Sam for half a season! and still I´m not condemning SPN or Dean), he has more attention and interaction, but I don´t bash him for it! I don´t hate it (or him) because of it! I only hope Sam will get a chance too! (Probably not, but its no reason to dislike Dean.)
Sam and Dean rocks together and I feel that people who hates one of them can´t like SPN at all. As I said, it´s sad.

I think you are very brave person to engage yourself into discussion with fans who were so rude to Sam ( and to Jared as well) and I feel to you too! I admire you.

Thanks & welcome

[vyperdd.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you so much for your great comments.

Unfortunately there are a lot of places like that one on the net and in fandom where commentors openly wish that Jared would leave or be written out so that it can become the Dean show as they think it should have been all along.

I love reading other fan's reactions to eps and will read most reviews that I find. However it's the comments to those reviews that get me angry and upset on Sam and Jared's behalf, especially when the reviewer does nothing to stop the bashing on one character at the expense of the other. Normally I just close the page and go elsewhere to where I know Sam will be appreciated for the wonderful, amazing, complex character that the writers have created and who Jared has brought to life.

But this fan's comments got me soooooooo pissed off that I just had to respond, even though I knew it would be a loosing battle.

I've since had another couple of fans contact me to offer support and say thanks for sticking up for Sam and Jared.

I loved S4 as it gave the chance for Jared to play a different side of Sam, one who was lost and angry and scared afer losing Dean, who was seduced by a demon and lead down a certain path without ever being given all the information... ie killing Lilith would start the Apocolypse not stop it as Ruby lead him to believe.

Oh Sam was there in S6, he was just missing his soul. I absolutely loved SoulessSam and was so sad to see him get killed off, even as I cheered Sam getting his soul back, because I missed him heaps.

And I'm loving s7 as you can probably tell from my last couple of posts. What I am not liking is all these damn breaks we are getting between 2 or 3 episodes. It's driving me crazy.!!!